Rebecca A. Withey: Review of ‘Deaf Awakening’ by Steven Vevers-Webb of D-Live

Deaf Awakening is a written theatrical production that uses interviews with deaf people to create monologues, dialogues and short scenes that highlight several deaf issues.

Written and produced by Steven Vevers-Webb of D-Live! the play was originally inspired by the format in which Eve Ensler’s ‘Vagina Monologues’ takes place, with Steven wanting to produce a script with the same variety of experiences focused around being deaf.

Steven created the script for Deaf Awakening by asking his participants ‘what does being deaf mean to you?’ as well as ‘what emotion does deafness evoke in you?’ and the responses he got were varied, yet all with a surprisingly similar undertone.

The experiences mentioned and described in detail range from identity confusion, the stress of attending audiology appointments, being excluded at family gatherings, life as a deaf prison in-mate and many more.

I personally loved reading – and watching the BSL video- to a text titled ‘Not at all important, nothing that matters or concerns you.’ This text described a Sunday roast dinner gathering; an event which was meant to be pleasurable and happy but the reality was far from it as the deaf person sat alone and unhappy.

The way in which the actors used BSL to set the scene and bring the text to life was really beautiful to see. It was also incredible to note how vivid the deaf persons descriptions were, with clear memories of settings, colours and aromas. I found this text in particular highlighted how, even when a deaf person is sat alone and excluded, their mind is still observant and busy.

Deaf Awakening was meant to deliver a showcase of performances in London during Spring 2020 but of course the pandemic meant this plan had to change. Instead, a week long research and development project went underway that summer, and it was from this R&D that the book and the BSL videos were developed.

The overall aim of the play is to raise awareness of the daily discrimination, prejudice and cultural appropriation the deaf community face. As the texts have all been translated to BSL, they are also performed by deaf actors Alex Novak and Will Lewis. When reading the written English text in the book, there is the option to link to a QR code and view each one in BSL. This worked seamlessly and easily for me. I found watching the BSL performances by Alex and Will really added to the emotive quality of the text and really drew the viewer in.

There are 16 texts in total, with each one arranged for two to four actors to perform them but it is possible to readjust or rearrange the format of the text to allow larger groups of actors to perform the written pieces.

Whilst the overall tone of the play is one of frustration and anger, I imagine how cathartic it must have been for the participants and the writer to finally express events that would have otherwise been left unsaid. It seems that the process of taking someone’s distressful experience and using it to create art, is the very reason we need the arts in the first place.

By working creatively it is possible to process events, get things off your chest and ultimately inform others and raise awareness. By reading the texts I was reminded of my own negative ‘deaf life’ experiences, but rather than getting angry, I found myself feeling compassion and empathy for the writer of the piece. It felt similar to a ‘group hug’ you’d have amongst friends who have experienced the same difficult event.

I can see the text from Deaf Awakening being used by drama students or even deaf studies students, with actors encouraged to really explore and delve into the deep, dark world of being deaf in a hearing world; a minority in the big wide world. The strength of this production, for me, lies in its ability to shine a light on difficult topics, thus giving a voice to that which is normally left unsaid.

To conclude, Deaf Awakening is a powerful production that has the ability to remind deaf people who may be struggling that they are certainly not alone and also educate hearing people on the struggles our deaf community still faces.

 

To purchase Deaf Awakening or find out more about D-Live! see:

https://www.d-live.org.uk/